[Milex]There is a light that never goes out

Chap 11

Chapter 11

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Alex remembered the first ever rescue mission he went on with Julian's team. The ride to the lower city was far from pleasant because Valensi was unhappy that Julian took a kid with them on such a dangerous task. They were at a small village built inside an impact crater. Only a few street lights were still working when they arrived. The Explorer teams spread out to look for any survivors. Julian let him take the lead. Alex was to be 17 in a month. The endless sight of blood and body parts made him feel much older.

"Keep a shield up to cover yourself." Julian reminded him when Alex approached the ruins. But he was young, unafraid and eager to save those who couldn't protect themselves. There were a couple that's caught under a huge plate of metal. They were about the same age as Alex's parents. Alex forgot his shield for a moment when he was pushing up the plate with a spell.

One of them shot him with a pistol.

Julian saw it coming. The bullet was melted before it hit Alex. Nonetheless, the impact reached him in a different way. Since then, Alex has never let down his guard even when sleeping. The magic around his body is like a second layer of skin. It takes Alex no time to build a fender for himself and the shell has protected him for years without fail.

So much for being one of the best Wizards who masters the most powerful defending spells. Alex laughs at himself. Miles drew him out of his shell so effortlessly and now look at where it gets him.

The surroundings are getting clearer in front of his eyes. Alex finds himself on his usual seat in the ship, arms tied behind. The unbearable pain in his stomach has faded into a cold tingle. He can't feel his legs.

Alex tries to break the ropes. However, his wrists only burn as he pushes at the binding spell. "Don't waste your strength." Miles' voice comes from somewhere behind him. Alex can barely recognize him anymore. "The ropes are soaked with paralyzer potion. It weakens your magic."

He makes a sarcastic, cheerful sound when Miles' voice gets closer. "I learned from the best."

Miles walks over to the screen to check the route. Alex doesn't know the place they are heading. It's in the middle of nowhere, close to no big cities.

"So, this is what you've been planning?" He sneers bitterly, giving up on the ropes.

Miles glances over his shoulder at a livid Alex, his face expressionless. "You can say that, yeah."

"Don't you think it's too extra? What a waste of time, you had so many chances to just kill me." His composure is driving Alex crazy. "What do you want?"

Miles shrugs. "You." He sits down on the floor, completely relaxed. "And I've got you here already."

He's going to be the death of Alex. For sure.

He needs calm down and think. Alex takes a few deep breaths in through the nose. It's no time for fainting. He'd be useless if unconscious. His receiver is not in his pocket anymore. Miles puts it on the stand. The distance is long enough to trigger the spell. In that case, Matt will soon find out the truth. Also, the BASE monitors all sound signals from on board and it's unlikely that Miles knows about this. For now, Alex just needs to keep him talking.

A few minutes later, Alex has new questions for him. "Why did you save Zach?"

"He's not relevant." Miles answers indifferently. "No need to draw extra attention."

Some parts of his motivation just don't make sense to Alex. He was so sure that Miles did not come as a spy willingly, yet Miles just proved him wrong. "But they said you were supposed to kill us all. You didn't. Besides, I didn't remember you saving Zach easily."